11. Conclusion

The SMC Barricade g SMC2804WBRP-G is reasonably priced and has a good feature mix. Wireless throughput vs. range was very good, with speedy performance even at my worst-case test location.My main concern is with my failure to complete any WAN-LAN router performance tests. This problem could just be due to Qcheck's incompatibility with SPI + NAT firewalls, or it could foretell problems with getting Virtual Servers to work.

With a good feature-set, the SMC2804WBRP-G does itself a minor disservice with its user guide, which runs just over 110 pages, but doesn't contain much more information than the SMC2804WBRP-G's internal help pages. I also found the knowledge-base at SMC's website to be equally unhelpful while trying to diagnose the problem with my UDP streaming tests. Because I am a product reviewer, I can usually get special treatment when trying to diagnose a problem. But this would not be the case for users who must struggle through the problem solving process with poor support tools.

When I used the router for common tasks, such as sharing my PPPoE Internet connection, it performed well and was trouble free. And although wireless performance vs. range was very good, you might experience the same problem I had with getting a WEP connection to work.

The easy things were easy with the SMC2804WBRP-G, but some advanced features (such as Virtual Servers and Special Applications) were harder to get working than they should have been. In the end, I liked the product, but have concerns for those users who stray from the beaten path and head off into more advanced territory with the SMC Barricade g.

Wireless Testing Details

All tests were done using IXIA's Chariot 4.3, build 1699. Test direction is from AP to client, using TCP/IP protocol and 1,000,000 Byte file size, looped for one minute.

Wireless Client is a Fujitsu Lifebook P-2000 running Windows XP SP1 with 512 MB RAM and Intel Pentium M 900 Mhz

Ethernet Client is a Dell Inspiron 8600 running Windows XP SP1 with 512 MB RAM and Intel Pentium M 1.7 Mhz

Condition 1 : Same room
Distance between G-2000 and wireless client is under 10 feet.

Condition 2: Moderate distance
Wireless client moved approximately 40 feet away, transmitting through two sheet rock walls.

Condition 3: Worst case
Wireless client approximately 100 feet from AP, exterior to the structure containing the AP. The AP is shielded by a brick wall and earth, with the AP below the client.